We have a software for Windows server that uses SQL backend DB. We would like to extend our offer and have a virtual machine (hyperV, vmware, xenserver) that will include windows server installation, SQL server and our application. Machine needs to be joined to domain and our app will start working.

My question is: is it possible to license Windows and SQL server and to sell it as a part of our offer?

Well our customers have a lot of servers, so I don't think they will take an advantage of only one windows copy. We are trying to do this only to ease deployment of our software
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MatkoNov 11 '09 at 8:55

4 Answers
4

Within a setup that large, typically I think customer would want to install and control the OS themselves. They have no idea how patched the OS will be for example when it arrives, what about SQL CALs? Windows CALs? What if you are deploying it as a Windows 2008 and the customer says we only use Windows 2008 R2? What about their anti-virus, firewall, local lock downs, backdoor emergency admin accounts?

If you want to ease installation/deployment for the customer off up an installation service for them either on site (big $$$ for them) or remote (cheaper $) using remote access software. You'll likely save yourself a big headache.

If the software is simple enough to only need a single server + SQL server on it, then it should be straight forward enough for an admin with the PDF to install it and then the bigger guys with dedicated DBA's can set it up on their SQL cluster, with the mirroring, and all the built in stuff they'll have customized for their own network.

I don't know about Windows, you'll seriously need to speak to MS about that, but you could bundle SQL Server Express no problem (and in a lot of cases that may be all the customer needs). Page for 2005 is here and for 2008 is here.

You could bundle SQL Express, since its free and will run a local DB up to 4GB which is enough to get started. Then let the customer decide if they want to incur the cost of an upgrade later on down the road.